Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Setsuko Matsunaga
October 17, 1921 Los Angeles
|
| Died | November 18, 2012 (aged 91) Cape Breton
|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago |
| Occupation | professor of sociology |
| Known for | Asian American studies |
| Spouse(s) | Ken Nishi |
Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi (born October 17, 1921 – died November 18, 2012) was an important activist and researcher. She studied how different races got along in America. She was also a professor of sociology at the City University of New York. There, she taught the very first classes about Asian American studies.
Early Life and Education
Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi was born in Los Angeles on October 17, 1921. Her parents, Hatsu and Tahei Matsunaga, had moved to the United States from Kumamoto, Japan. Her father owned a hotel in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles.
Setsuko went to Theodore Roosevelt High School. After that, she studied music at the University of Southern California. She was a talented classical pianist. She often played music with her sister Helen, who was a violinist.
In the spring of 1942, Setsuko's studies and music career were put on hold. Because they were Japanese Americans, she and her family were sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Center. This happened after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the signing of Executive Order 9066. Setsuko even sent a telegram to President Roosevelt. She told him that keeping people in camps was "undemocratic."
Five months later, in the fall of 1942, Setsuko and her sister were among the first students to leave the camp. This was thanks to a group called the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. Setsuko then studied sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned a master's degree there in 1944. She finished her education at the University of Chicago, where she earned her doctorate in 1963.
Career and Activism
In 1944, Setsuko married the painter Ken Nishi in Chicago. They started a family and had a son named Geoffrey. Setsuko began working at the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. She became the assistant to the editor, P.L. Prattis, who was a good friend and supporter.
Prattis introduced her to another American sociologist, Horace R. Cayton. He helped Setsuko start the Chicago Resettlers Committee. This group later became known as the Japanese American Service Committee. In 1946, she wrote a popular booklet called Facts About Japanese Americans. In the late 1940s, she led the Chicago Council Against Racial and Religious Discrimination. This group brought together civil rights and labor organizations.
In the early 1950s, the Nishis moved to Tappan, New York. There, they had four more children. Setsuko worked as a researcher for the National Council of Churches. With Horace Cayton, she wrote a study called The Changing Scene (1955). This book looked at churches and social services.
In 1965, Setsuko Nishi became a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College. She also taught at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. At Brooklyn College, she taught the first courses on Asian American studies. She helped inspire a new group of scholars.
In the 1970s, she joined the New York State Advisory Committee. This committee reported to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She served on this committee for 30 years and eventually became its chair. Throughout her teaching career, she always combined her school work with helping her community. She retired in 1999.
Later Life and Awards
In 2001, Setsuko's husband, Ken, passed away. In her final years, Setsuko worked on a big project. It was called the Japanese American Life Course Survey. This study looked at how the wartime internment affected Japanese Americans.
In 2007, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies. In 2009, the Japanese government honored her with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. This is a very special award.
Setsuko Nishi died in Cape Breton, Canada, on November 18, 2012. She is remembered by her five children: Geoffrey, Lisa, Paula, Stefani, and Mia. She also had six grandchildren: Emiko, Lian, Mia, Béla, James, and Chloe.
